Changing
by tic tac toe 03
Summary: In the aftermath of Loki's invasion something changes between Clint and Natasha. Movieverse and spoilers! Clint/Natasha.
1. Chapter 1

**Changing **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing!**

**Saw the Avengers last weekend- absolutely amazing! My current favourite film and these 2 are my current favourite pairing! I kept elbowing my friend every time they came on, especially when they had scenes together! This is my first Avengers fanfiction so I hope I do it justice! **

**SPOILERS FOR THE MOVIE! **

He's always been good at disappearing off, hiding in curious places to keep an eye on events and when he doesn't want to be found he makes damn sure he isn't until he gets a message requesting his presence.

And so it comes of no surprise to the rest of the team that as soon as the medics let them all out of the hospital wing, Clint, Natasha, Tony and Steve armed with various painkillers and medicines, Clint disappears.

"Do you think we should…?" Steve hesitates wondering whether the best course of action is to leave the archer alone. All eyes turn to Natasha who sighs heavily debating what to do. She knows that Clint wants to be left alone but also that to leave him alone would be the worst thing to do.

"I'll go." She offers quietly rubbing a tired hand across her eyes and meandering slowly down a corridor trying to decide where to start looking, knowing she's in for a long search. But still she knows her partner better than anyone else, knows that he's beating himself up for letting Loki take over his mind and knows that he hates himself for fighting her. She hates herself for fighting him too, even if she had no option.

And so while it would have taken anyone else several hours to hunt the archer down she finds Clint in just under an hour having nosed into most corners of the helipad but finds him in the bathroom attached to his room sitting on the toilet seat head in his hands.

"Of all the places to hide." She comments lightly leaning against the doorframe and crossing her hands over her chest.

He doesn't look up and his voice is rough when he speaks. "Not hiding."

"Sure you're not." She crosses the small space in two steps and grasps his hands tightly tugging him out of the bathroom and into his room pushing him onto the bed and sitting next to him. They sit in silence as she waits for him to speak but quickly realises she will have to be the one to make the first move. "It wasn't your fault." She speaks softly but firmly laying her hand on his knee and squeezing.

"I attacked the helipad." He mumbles keeping his eyes trained on the floor. "I let them in; if I hadn't those agents wouldn't have died, Coulson wouldn't have…" He breaks off for a second and gathers his emotions together. He's an assassin; he rarely betrays his feelings and he certainly doesn't have this type of reaction to death. But this is different because he knew these people and he knew Coulson.

Natasha watches him carefully breathing a sigh of relief as the cloud starts to leave his face. But then it returns more forcefully than ever as he turns to look at her horror written across his face. "We fought didn't we? I hurt you, oh god Tasha I…"

She panics slightly watching him get worked up as he starts to ramble breathless in horror at what he did. "Clint." She whispers softly turning his face to look at her. "I'm fine." She ignores the sting of bruises covering her body, some of which she's sure result from her fight with her partner and focuses on him. "Besides I won." She smirks at him hoping to lighten the mood. "Knocked you out cold."

"Thanks for that by the way." His smile is small but at least he has one and she breathes a sigh of relief. "Oh god what did I do?" He moans suddenly his head dropping down into his hands again and Natasha closes her eyes again as intense hatred for Loki curses through her; she hated the guy before but watching Clint blame himself for something which is all the bloody God's fault brings about the emotion more strongly than she's ever felt before.

"Clint listen to me." She moves to her knees in front of him. "That wasn't you; that was Loki. You had no choice; Fury told me what happened, how you had no chance against not having that thing stabbed at you. No one blames you."

He glances at her and she can see that he so desperately wants to believe her but can't quite let himself. "Come on Clint; do you really think that Rogers would have accepted your help so readily if he didn't trust you and didn't blame you. Do you think Stark would have, Banner, Thor?"

He says nothing but nods slightly and she lets the topic go for now. It might take him a little while but she knows now that he will forgive himself. They sit there for a while longer hands clasped together on Clint's leg until finally they've both yawned at least twenty times both exhausted.

"We should get some sleep." Clint mutters finally after Natasha's yawned again. "It's been a long week."

"Longest one of my life." She agrees finally letting go of his hand and standing up to disappear into her rooms. He watches her go before moving back into his bathroom to wash and change for bed. It's moments like that when he wishes that Natasha doesn't have to go and that they weren't constantly dancing around each.

He settles down under the covers switching the light off and closes his eyes hoping for peace. It doesn't come easily and images flash through his mind of that day and how he could have stopped it all from happening if he hadn't let himself be controlled by Loki.

He's only been lying there for about ten minutes when his door opens again and Natasha slips in dressed for bed and looking exhausted. He mumbles something unintelligible through the darkness and she says nothing in return simply flings back the covers and curls up beside him.

They lie next to each other close enough to feel the other's presence but not touching. Until obviously on the verge of sleep Natasha stretches slightly and rolls onto her side one arm coming up to rest over his chest and her head pillowing on his shoulder.

He freezes for a moment, his muscles tensing up as they would do when bracing for impact in a fight. Her eyes are closed and her breathing relatively even; he wrapped one arm around her body resting his cheek against her hair, breathing in the smell of her shampoo and smiling to himself.

The weight of the week is still heavy on his shoulders and memories of what happened, of what he did still keep entering his mind every time he closes his eyes but eventually her gentle breathing and firm grip on his lulls him to sleep.

Natasha awakes first that morning to find herself still tangled in Clint's arms. Without even thinking her face spreads into a grin and she curls her fingers around the hand on her stomach. The slight movement make Clint stir but he doesn't wake and she lies contentedly there until the alarm sounds throughout calling all of them for the debriefing that Fury had postponed for the following day.

Clint bolts upright, awaking in the way they both do when work invades their sleep. "It's only the debriefing." She mumbles still sleepy, running her thumb across the back of his hand. He nods, smiling at her as they both get up.

She makes for the door, to have a quick shower and get ready in the ten minutes she has before the meeting starts but he catches her arm before she can reach the corridor. "Thank you." He whispers pressing a kiss against her cheek, obviously still sleepy and unthinking.

She doesn't know what to say and so rests her hand on his cheek briefly before slipping out to her room. He's leaning on the wall outside hands in the pockets of his sweatpants when she emerges dressed in a similar outfit and in silence they go to join the others in the meeting room where they sit opposite each other listening to the others and forcing their opinion through when they feel it should be heard.

They ignore the curious looks sent their way by the others who haven't failed to notice the looks they give each other when they think the other isn't looking because it's enough at that moment to sit there with the knowledge that something is changing between them.

They don't need to think about the future, about how one day the fact that they share a bed will develop into something more, and then finally Clint will snap and ask her just what the hell they mean to each other and she'll storm out and go and spend three hours in the gym before curling up back beside him in bed and then finally Tony will drag him to buy a ring and he'll ask her shyly one evening before bed and finally they're both happy.

**Thanks for reading- I would love to hear your thoughts!  
Tacxxx**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I own nothing! **

** I was asked about a sequel to this with Clint's proposal and so this came out- hope you enjoy! **

"Oi Barton." Tony's hand shoots out and grabs the archer as he walks past his lab presumably on his way to see Natasha either to train or to do whatever it is they do when the door to the room they're in is closed. Tony doesn't like to think about that though.

He also sometimes forgets that Clint's one of the two best assassins in the world and so catching him unaware is not the best idea. He only remembers this when his head is slammed against the wall and Clint's pinning against the plaster. "I thought we were friends." He grins rubbing his head as Clint recognises him and releases him.

"Sorry." Clint mutters slightly sheepishly and slightly amusedly.

"Don't worry about it; I should have known better." Tony waves the apology aside and laughs along with Clint who raises his eyebrows and snorts. This has been the second time this month that Tony's forgotten Clint's reflexes and reactions and Clint's forgotten that Tony, and to a lesser extent Steve, have a habit of sneaking up on people. "Pepper and I want to talk to you."

Clint stares at him suspiciously. "Why?"

"Talk to us and you'll find out." Pepper calls from inside the lab and Clint sighs and follows Tony inside. Pepper's sitting crossed legged on one of the lab surfaces. "Hi Clint." She smiles.

He returns the greeting and leans against the opposite work surface looking expectedly between her and Tony who's standing in between them. "So?" He prompts.

"When are you going to propose to Tasha?" Pepper gets straight to the point and automatically his eyes go to her hand and then to Tony's where the matching bands rest.

"Is it any of your business?" He sighs because really it isn't but also he's been debating for weeks now whether he should ask her.

"I'm a woman, she's my friend, you're my friend and I want you both to be happy." She jumps down from where she's sitting and slides an arm around Tony's waist. "You're both in the most dangerous job in the world and you know as well as I do that if anything happens to either of you you'll regret not having asked her."

Clint swallows at the thought and then looks to Tony. "What she said."

"You can't pretend you haven't thought about it." Pepper shoots him a knowing look and he nods briefly.

"I don't know how." He admits finally; Tony opens his mouth to say something and he hastily carries on. "We're not like you two." He starts to explain and then runs out of how to do it without offending either of them. Most people, including Tony at times, argue that they're not in a proper relationship because they don't go on fancy dates or dates at all really, and they don't show the world displays of affection but they don't need too. All they really need is the knowledge that there's someone there at the end of the day to talk to, to sleep with and next to and most importantly to love.

"Exactly." Pepper told him. "You just ask her; it's not like she'll say no." He hesitates for a moment and then nods a smile spreading across his face.

"You'll need a ring though." Tony looks at him pointedly and he sighs knowing there's only one way in which his evenings going to end. Pepper grins at him as Tony all but drags him out of the door protesting about how he's supposed to spend his evening with Natasha and can't he shop tomorrow. The other two don't give him a chance and instead Pepper just yells after him that she'll distract Natasha.

"What about this one?" Tony yells at Clint from across the shop over to the counter he's staring at. The man working in the shop, and incidentally the only other person in the shop, frowns at him but knows better than to say anything because after all it is two of the Avengers standing in his shop.

Clint jogs over and frowns at the one his friend is pointing at. "No." He shoots down about the eighth ring that Tony's suggested all of them way to flashy and none of them at all Natasha.

"Are you ever going to choose?" Tony sends him an exasperated look but Clint's looking at one tucked away in the top corner.

"That one?" Clint decides catching the man's eyes before he can change his mind and chicken out. It's Natasha all over, a simple diamond engagement ring. They're out of the shop five minutes after he spots it; the box tucked safely into his pocket.

"When are you going to ask her?" Tony takes his eyes off the road and looks over at Clint as he drives them back to the Stark tower which they've all slowly moved into and never left.

"Tonight." His answer is quick and definite because he's made his decision, it's the one he wants and he knows that it will be the one she wants and he's not going to waste another minute. Tony says nothing but his face says it all.

He's the first one back to their room; hearing the sound of Pepper and Nat talking as he passes the kitchen. He tucks the ring box under the pillow and changes into his pyjamas settling into bed and picking up the paperwork from their last mission that Hill's on at him to complete.

She must have heard him come in him because it only takes her ten minutes to appear in their room. "Good evening?" She asks closing the door behind her and pulling off her hoodie and digging under her pillow for her pyjamas.

"Not bad." He sets aside his paperwork, because really not a lot happened on the last mission and everyone else, including Tony, has already handed theirs in and so SHIELD already know exactly what happened. "Considering it was with Tony."

She sends him a fond look simultaneously rolling her eyes at him in a way that only she can pull off because she knows that Tony and Clint get on well despite their almost constant banter and arguing. He merely grins back hoping that nothing in his expression, words or tone will alert her to the fact that it was anything more than the two of them messing around all evening.

"How was your evening?" He calls as she wanders into the bathroom to change and wash before she joins him.

"Pretty good." She calls around her toothbrush. "Got through a tub of ice cream." He smiles fondly in her direction knowing all too well her love for the cold dessert; it only rivals his and so many of their squabbles (which predictably end in the training room) have started over ice cream.

"You should really do this paperwork before Hill murders you." Natasha picks up the abandoned paperwork and swats him over the head with it.

"There are lots of things I should do." He smirks at her as she tosses the paper onto the floor and slides in next to him. His arm curls around her shoulder and her head comes down to lean on his chest.

"And yet you don't do any of them." She teases playing absently with his fingers.

"I'm going to do this one." He mumbles quietly against her hair. She turns her head to look up at him her expression confused; evenings before bed are when they're both at their most open and vulnerable and as a result it's the time of the day they enjoy the most and need the most.

"What one?" She smiles slightly through her confusion as a faint blush spreads across his cheek and he looks down at the duvet. "Clint." She untangles their fingers and rests her hand on his cheek.

He shakes her hand and takes a deep breath reaching under his pillows and pulling out the box. She gasps slightly but remains quiet letting him speak. "Tasha I…"He breaks off again. "I… We've." She looks expectedly at him and he presses a kiss against her hair. "Oh sod it Tasha, marry me."

It's not the most romantic proposal in the world, in fact it's probably in the bottom ten regarding romance, but it's so entirely Clint and so lovely in his own way that she didn't even think of saying no. Not that she would contemplate it anyway; she loves Clint, he loves her and nothing would make either of them happier than to be husband and wife.

"Yes." She whispers twisting round fully so her knees are either side of his legs to kiss him properly.

Later that evening when they're curled together sleepily her head resting against his shoulder and his cheek turned into her hair and they're both nearly asleep Natasha opens her mouth. "I never thought I'd ever get married."

"Me neither." He mutters tiredly rubbing his thumb along her hip bone where it's resting. "It's not like this job really gives you the option for love."

"I'm glad we ignored that." He feels her smirk against his skin and smiles.

"Me too." He agrees reaching one arm out from under the warmth of the covers to switch the bedside light off leaving the room in darkness.

**Thank you for all your support for the last chapter, you guys have been amazing- thoughts on this would be appreciated too! I plan on leaving this at this but if anyone does have any ideas for something else then please let me know and I will do my best!  
Thank for reading!  
Tacxxx**


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